Threepenny Bit formed early in 2011 as a trio, featuring Chris Nichols on violin, Helen Gentile on clarinet and Guy Moore on guitar and drums. Their aim at the time was to form a busking band and take to the streets of Hampshire, to avoid the need for part time jobs during University. They were frequently joined, both busking and gigging, by other members of the University of Southampton Folk Society (co-founded by Chris and Helen), which was how Hannah Gray (flute) and Josh Robson-Hemmings (guitar) found their place in the group. The band first played as a five at the Winchester Hat Fair in the summer of 2011, an experience that unanimously convinced them to solidify the expanded line-up. Shortly thereafter, the new-and-improved Threepenny Bit recorded their first album, Something..., and continued to perform around the south of England, developing their style and stagecraft.
In the autumn of 2011, both Hannah and Helen temporarily moved abroad in order to continue their academic studies, and it looked as though the band would have to wind down for the winter. It was around this time, however, that Guy and Josh crossed paths with music students Jason Beaumont (flute and bass), Steven Troughton (accordion) and Ruth Burrows (saxophone) and so, with new players on board, the band began to experiment with more complex musical ideas and arrangements.
Following Hannah and Helen's return to English shores, the band's second album, Cartography, was written and recorded. The primary motivation for producing another record was to have something new to peddle on the streets, but a pleasing upshot of the process was the subsequent invitation to play at Wimborne, Bath, Rochester Sweeps and Purbeck Valley folk festivals. The band also began to be invited to support other touring folk groups, including Blackbeard's Tea Party, The Monster Ceilidh Band and Habadekuk.
2014 saw Threepenny Bit take another step musically with the release of their third album, Pantomime Cannon. The composition and recording of the music was approached in a completely different way; with focus on street performance waning and acquaintanceship with concert stages waxing, it seemed like a good idea to attempt to capture the energy of a live show. Previous albums had seen each instrument recorded in isolation, but a move to The Ranch Production House with its cavernous live room allowed the band to play their new arrangements as one. The record was released in September 2014 to critical acclaim, finding its way onto a number of radio playlists and magazine review articles.
A couple of months after the release of Pantomime Cannon, the band welcomed Ross Gordon on the drums following Guy's departure. A member of afrobeat, metal and jazz bands, Ross quickly made his mark on Threepenny Bit's sound, much to everyone's delight! Simultaneously, prominence on the UK festival circuit was developing. 2015 saw the band perform at Shrewsbury, Cambridge, Ely, Wimborne and London folk festivals, as well as returning to Sidmouth Folk Week, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, Folk on the Quay, Rochester Sweeps Festival and Folk Weekend Oxford.
In 2016, with a concert tour under their belt and a growing collective conviction regarding their musical direction, Threepenny Bit recorded Hightown Sessions, an EP of live performances. The four tracks were recorded in one day and filmed with multiple cameras to give each its own studio video. You can watch them on the Threepenny Bit YouTube Channel.
Following another tour and more festivals in 2017, planning for the band's next full length album began in earnest. If growing stage experience gave rise to Pantomime Cannon, the new album would give precedence to what goes on behind the curtain in the rehearsal room. All aspects of the process took longer than on previous occasions, with writing, rehearsing and recording all given the time required to reach an end result the band could be proud of. In December 2019, shortly before the world met its match in COVID-19, King Ahtu was released. Airplay on Mark Radcliffe's BBC Radio 2 Folk Show was satisfactory recognition of the hard work put in.
After a year and a half of unavoidable silence, (live-streaming an eight-piece band is easier said than done!), Threepenny Bit began to stretch its musical limbs ready for a return to action. The band enjoyed a couple of late summer, post-lockdown appearances at old favourite festivals Purbeck Valley and Swanage, but unbeknownst to their audiences, the new music bug has begun to lay its eggs...
Jason Beaumont- Flute, Bass Guitar
Jason grew up in Egham and began learning the flute at the age of 6, and although he began his music degree specialising in piano, graduated with a Masters degree in classical flute performance in 2011. He also plays the bass guitar, and is greatly in demand for performance with musical theatre shows in Southampton. An impatient soul, Jason quickly becomes bored with just 'playing the tune' when performing with Threepenny Bit, and his incessant improvisation has become integral to the band's sound. He also has a passion for catering and enjoys playing the perfect hostess, providing everyone with hot beverages. Despite his variety of talents, however, Jason has proven himself to be most proficient in the art of putting his foot in his mouth.
Ruth Burrows- Alto Saxophone
Ruth grew up near Bristol, in a household where the learning of musical instruments was strongly encouraged. She discovered classical alto saxophone at the age of 10 and has gone on to graduate with a BA in music from the University of Southampton just over ten years later. Ruth's love of folk music was initially influenced by the music her Dad used to play in the car, such as Fairport Convention, Lindisfarne, June Tabor and Oysterband, but it was the discovery of Bellowhead via Mike Harding's Folk Show that propelled this into a desire for a career in the field. Now living in Worthing, Ruth also has a keen interest in Killer Sudoku puzzles, Chinese historical fiction, and making dinosaurs out of felt.
Helen Gentile- Clarinet
Helen hails from Taunton in Somerset and began learning the clarinet aged 7. She has been folk dancing since childhood, her parents having had their first encounter at a ceilidh. Helen first became interested in playing folk music at college, going on to co-found the University of Southampton Folk Society in 2010. With a degree in languages, Helen lived in Brittany for a year, where she undertook an ethnographic research project exploring Breton folk music and dance, as part of her studies. After graduating, Helen worked as a woodwind teacher for Hampshire Music Service for three years and now teaches woodwind freelance for Southampton Woodwind Academy as well as working in Southampton schools. Alongside Threepenny Bit, Helen regularly plays with other groups, including Monkey See Monkey Do and a duo project with fiddle player, Lewis Wood.
Hannah Gray- Flute, Low D Whistle
Devon-raised Hannah began learning the classical flute aged 8, going on to play in orchestras and ensembles, and taking up the tenor saxophone in her teenage years for a bit of variety. She grew up listening to the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and only really discovered folk a little later on, an interest that was nurtured whilst playing with the University of Southampton Folk Society. In addition to her musical talents, Hannah is a qualified audiologist, and has undertaken the role of hearing-protection consultant to the other band members. She is based in Oxford, and also plays and sings with Samantha Twigg Johnson and The Sometimes Band.
Ross Gordon- Drums, Percussion
Ross grew up in Twickenham and tried his hand at many different instruments including piano, guitar, and violin before finding his love for the drums; he has also recently discovered a talent for playing the spoons at folk sessions! He graduated with a degree in maths and music from the University of Southampton, and manages a hectic life playing with The Sea Slugs (a 7 piece afrobeat extravaganza) and Fraktions (a djent metal trio), adding Threepenny Bit to his lengthy list of responsibilities in 2015. Ross also plays with various acclaimed London musicians and is house drummer for several jam nights. Somehow, he finds the time to do web design as well!
Chris Nichols- Violin, Viola
Born and raised in Cornwall, Chris began playing the fiddle when he was 10, and has performed with various Cornish dance groups including Ros Keltek and Hevva (of which he was a founding member). Whilst at university, he helped form the University of Southampton Folk Society, and graduated in 2012 with a BA in music. Chris spent his first year as a real grown-up living the life of the musician, busking and gigging to pay the rent. He missed the education system too much, however, and now works for the Southampton Music Service, teaching part-time in primary and secondary schools across the city.
Josh Robson-Hemmings- Acoustic Guitar
Josh was born in London, but spent his youth between Bristol and Oxfordshire. Inspired initially by nu-metal and funk music, he took up the electric guitar at the age of 12, and quickly became involved in the Bristolian alternative scene. This chapter of his musical life ended when he moved to Southampton to read physics at the university, and chose to spend his first student loan installment on an acoustic guitar - a decision for which he is still mocked by his former bandmates! He quickly became involved with the University of Southampton Folk Society, and the rest, as they say, is history. Josh graduated with a Masters degree in 2011 and now works as a research physicist for Sharp in Oxford. Somehow he has found the time to teach himself melodeon and mandolin, and to perform with James Bell & the Half Moon All Stars.
Steven Troughton- Accordion
Steven grew up in St Albans, and began his musical life dancing to Eric Clapton in his Grandma's living room, and endlessly hitting the 'demo' button on his Casio SA-1 keyboard (which plays an excellent version of Wham's 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go', for those interested). He started playing piano at age 7, picked up the trumpet in his first year of secondary school, then learnt the guitar upon discovery of his first real musical obsession - Led Zeppelin. After graduating with a BA in music from the University of Southampton in 2011, Steve began teaching himself the accordion as little more than a new hobby; subdued fingerstyle guitar was satiating most of his folk performance desires, but the appeal of the boisterously jolly accordion couldn't be quelled! Steve also performs with experimental pop artist Tom OC Wilson, if you fancy something a little different! During the daytime you'll find him driving around Worthing in his 'bright red van' à la Pat.
King Ahtu(2019)
King Ahtu sees the band digging deeper into their musical toolbox, exploring an ever-widening spectrum of colour and texture.
Where Pantomime Cannon sought purely to capture the essence of Threepenny Bit’s live performance, King Ahtu treats the studio as an additional instrument, augmenting the band’s natural sound.
"There is no doubt that Threepenny Bit are an excellent band and any festival looking to expand its dance line-up should look no further. Meanwhile, King Ahtu is a very fine album."
Dai Jeffries, folking.com
"As one might expect from such a musically tight outfit, the album is a delight throughout."
John Oke Bartlett, The Living Tradition
"King Ahtu is a fine album from a bunch of excellent musicians."
Ian Croft, RnR magazine
"Toe-tapping is obligatory, whether evocative soundscapes or tightly woven grooves are created. Infectious."
Spirit.rocks
"Producer Pete Ord has taken the eight piece and sculptured a very satisfying production which really should grace your music machine as soon as possible. Theirs is a polymorph sound with classical, jazz and rock all thrown in alongside the roots."
Simon Jones, Spiral Earth
"Following the successful Pantomime Cannon, the ambitious King Ahtu pushes the collective’s artistic exploration a bit further, reflecting the infectious energy of their live performances and creating musical landscapes to be savoured many times over."
Michele Mele, Bright Young Folk
"For their fourth studio album, eight-piece band Threepenny Bit demonstrate their virtuosity and musicality in a set of tunes that , while always retaining the roots of traditional and self-penned dance music, soars into a new and spectacular sound-world that is a real delight to listen to."
Barry Goodman, Shire Folk
Pantomime Cannon(2014)
Pantomime Cannon captures the band's live sound on a studio recording. It branches away from the traditional catalogue of folk music both in terms of composition and arrangement, but retains the lively, danceable feel for which the band is known.
"The most head-spinningly original album to emerge from the current crop of young folk collectives this year. Forget nodding along approvingly, this is an all-out musical bombardment"
Rob Fearnly, Bright Young Folk
"Bursting with Energy"
Martin Chilton, The Telegraph
"Their sound blends traditional with self-penned into a wash of dance tunes ranging from mildly energetic through decidedly graceful to seizure-inducing fanaticism. This is far more than casual toe-tapping interest it's full-on engagement from the outset"
Tim Carroll, FolkWords
"It's addictive stuff as forays into rock and jazz blend with interpretations of trad British Dances"
The Musician
"The album attempts to recapture the feeling of the live performances, the musicianship is of high quality, the choice of material is varied and the arrangements and production is excellent"
Alan Morley, UK Folk Music
"Threepenny Bit's album is a great bit of fun, it's full of wonderful sounds by a band which clearly enjoys doing what it does and delivers exactly what it says on the tin a pantomime fired at full pelt"
Danny Farragher, Folkall
"This third album, Pantomime Cannon is a hearty stab at a difficult task. With rock producer Jim Harding at the controls, the raw energy and wilder edges have survived what can be a sterilising experience in the studio"
Nick Churchill, FATEA
"If you like tunes there are few better than Threepenny Bit"
Shire Folk
Cartography(2012)
Cartography is Threepenny Bit's first album as an eight-piece, and begins to explore the musical possibilities afforded by the expanded line-up. While still predominantly traditional, Cartography ventures further into the repertoire of recently-composed folk music. The album was nominated for the FATEA awards' 'Instrumental Album of the Year' in 2013.
Something...(2011)
Something... was recorded at a time when Threepenny Bit comprised only five members. It features mostly-traditional, lively tunes, and reflects the band's busking origins.